Automotive interior molded panel components such as automotive door trims, rear side trims, rear parcel shelves, etc. are typically provided with a layered structure comprising a core layer, or substrate, having a certain rigidity and a skin, or cover, layer having an ornamental or attractive surface texture which is bonded to the surface of the core layer. In order to minimize the time and labor required to manufacture these molded panels interior components, resort has been made to integrally assembling the rigid substrate and the cover layer of these molded panels according to a one-step forming process wherein the cover layer is shaped and secured to the rigid substrate during the forming of the rigid substrate. This is typically done by inserting a cover-skin material between a first and second mold of a molding tool; introducing resin into the molding tool; and solidifying the resin to form a molded rigid substrate with the cover material secured thereto. The resin can be introduced into the molding tool using two suitable molding processes, injection molding and low pressure molding (LPM).
It is often desirable for these automotive molded panels to have a soft-touch to the vehicle occupant. Up until now, there has not been a suitable one-step method for forming molded panels having a soft touch.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a one-step method for making a soft-touch molded panel that can be done inexpensively and without requiring a substantial amount of time and labor. It would also be desirable to manufacture a soft touch molded panel, i.e., via a low pressure molding or injection molding process method.